Weapons Expert
2017.06.06 - 
This week’s Operation Hydra event, Weapons Expert, is live! How deep is your weapon pool? Play a 5v5 best-of-30 match with a twist – once you buy a weapon, you can’t buy it again for the rest of the match. Coordinate with your team, grind the enemy out of weapons, and try to keep your best options available!
Operation Hydra
2017.05.23 - 
Operation Hydra features the all-new Operation Hydra Events–a 2v2 competitive mode, a 5v5 mode that requires broad weapon proficiency, and twists on classic game rules including a chance to play using a special heavy armor, low-gravity sniping, team deathmatch, knife and zeus-only, and others. There’s more – Operation Hydra features a set of new and returning community maps available for casual and competitive modes, along with a full Guardian Mission campaign, an Operation Coin upgradable to the new Diamond level, an Operation Journal with friends leaderboards, the opportunity to gain extra XP, Operation weapon drops, and the all new Operation Hydra Case!
Volver
2017.04.12 -
For a limited time, the R8 Revolver and Negev are enabled in Competitive Matchmaking in order to evaluate their impact.
Over the past few weeks we’ve watched players use the newly adjusted weapons in the casual game modes, and the next step is to try them out in a competitive environment. We expect that the Negev will be a situational weapon that will require experimentation on the part of teams to be effective, so as a starting point its price has been lowered significantly.
Give them a shot and tell us what you think!
Suppressive Fire!
2017.03.24 -
Today we are removing two weapons from Competitive Matchmaking (the R8 Revolver and the Negev) as we make significant changes to them, and we are shipping some new features to help you build your social network as you play CS:GO.
For you Five Year Veteran Coin holders, there’s also an opportunity to preorder a physical coin to add to your collection.
Limited Exposure
We’re making changes to the R8 Revolver and the Negev, and for the time being those weapons will not be available in Competitive Matchmaking. Now players can have fun with them in the game without impacting competitive play.
R8 Revolver – The firing delay on the Revolver has been significantly reduced, but otherwise the weapon has the same high-powered shot with great mobility.
Negev – The Negev has received a more significant rework, receiving traits that promote suppressing the enemy. Wild at first, the Negev’s shots settle over time into a deadly controllable beam.
Five Year Veteran Coin
Collectors, if you’ve got the Five Year Veteran Coin in your inventory, you’re eligible to pre-order a physical version of the collectible coin!
The Collectible Five Year Coin is made of die cast zinc alloy and comes in a wooden display box with a magnetic closure. Display it in the box (ready to hang on your wall) or standalone with the included acrylic display stand.
To get started you can visit the pre-order page, and if you’d like more details you can visit the FAQ.
Building Relationships
Join your friends and make some new ones. The Friends Panel on the Main Menu has been updated to provide a bit more information about your incoming and outgoing friend requests, along with an all new panel displaying the teammates you’ve encountered during your recent matches.
Take a trip to the Canals
2017.03.15 -
Canals is a brand new map for CS:GO, set in a historic Italian city. Two important tourist attractions are under threat by an international group of terrorists known as the Phoenix, and SEAL Team 6 has been deployed to stop them.
The map is based on real-world environments that give each area its own architectural style as well as gameplay, and produce an unconventional layout. The CT side is composed of a large, wide open area while the T-controlled territory forms a crescent of smaller spaces around it and provides multiple approaches to each bomb site.
The bombsites require different tactics and weapon choices for each team. Site A is set in the open CT territory and rewards the use of smoke grenades as well as rifle skills, while site B is located in the interior where submachine guns and shotguns will prove most useful.
The canal that runs below site B also allows a stealthy approach deep into the CT-controlled area and the A site. This area has a lot of cover that makes it difficult and hazardous for CTs to hold.
While the map is based on a real-world location, the aesthetics are intentionally clean and uncluttered for good player visibility. In addition, many of the environmental models are built in a modular fashion so they can be easily re-used by community map makers.
We look forward to seeing how the map is received by the players. As with our previous map releases, listening to feedback from the community will help us make improvements in the future.
Phoenix Rising
Today we’re shipping a visual upgrade to the Phoenix Terrorist player model. Like the recent upgrade of the SAS Counter-Terrorist model, the adjustments are focused on preserving character legibility and improving overall visual fidelity.
The Spectrum Case
Introducing the Spectrum Case, featuring 17 Community-designed weapon finishes. In the Spectrum Case, the rare special item will be the second generation of knives in Chroma finishes.
